Protesters ask whalers for help in missing-persons search

Sending Out an SOS

The bone-chilling waters of Antarctica are seeing heated conflict as the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society tangles with Japanese whalers. The protesters, upset over a 1,000-whale hunt they deem illegal -- but which was OK'd by the International Whaling Commission as a scientific pursuit -- have dumped a safe but stench-ridden acid on whaling ship decks, tried to bolt metal plates over holes that release whale blood, and collided with the hunters. Or, in this case, the hunted. "They are threatening people's lives," said Hideki Moronuki of the Japan Fisheries Agency. "We strongly protest and request them to stop immediately. Their conduct is that of pirates." In a proud piratical moment, when a dinghy-riding duo got lost, Sea Shepherd asked their targets to help in the over seven-hour search. The Japanese ship obliged. "It's nothing we wouldn't do [for them] as well," said Sea Shepherd director Johnny Vasic. "It's a kind of rule of the sea and sailors." Oh, rules. They're nice.

straight to the source: The Guardian, Associated Press, 12 Feb 2007

straight to the source: The Times, Richard Lloyd Parry, 09 Feb 2007

straight to the source: BBC News, 09 Feb 2007

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Comments: (3 comments)

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Whaling Commission

The story about the clash between Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers has a small but significant error that was not in the source article. To wit, the Grist piece says the hunt "was OK'd by the International Whaling Commission as a scientific pursuit," which isn't quite right. As the Guardian rightly put it, the hunt is part of a "scientific whaling programme, conducted within the rules of the International Whaling Commission." The IWC's rules allow member countries to conduct "scientific" whaling on their own: individual hunts are not approved by the commission. If there were a vote on the permits Japan has awarded herself, it would likely fail to be approved.

Tom Turner

by Tom Turner at 10:55 AM on 12 Feb 2007

Many Tools in the Toolbox

I know Grist reports on nice 'n legal activism, patiently working through political channels while the world burns, and I love how you do it. And I know Sea Shepherd can be a bit strident and alienating, so I don't mind poking some fun at them, but! To ridicule to group of activists while portraying WHALERS in a sympathetic light - who, as Tom pointed out, operate under the same guise of "legality" that permits all order of insane atrocities on/against this planet - is baffling, infuriating, deserving of a good excoriating! Grist, what were you thinking?!

by Revbluesky at 11:55 AM on 12 Feb 2007

r u f&%#ing kidding??

Here's a rule - the UN World Charter for Nature, you know, the one that allows international NGOs to enforce environmental laws? Something very few NGOs do, and which Sea Shepherd should be applauded, not ridiculed, for. Forget the whalers, what about the whales? How many whales have ever been saved by a banner or a rainbow t-shirt or a Greenpeace sticker? As an Australian I'd love to see our little dictator welcome refugees to our shores and instead turn our immigration policy on whaling vessels - sink them, lie about how they drowned, or seize and burn their ships and stick them in cages in the desert for an indeterminate number of years as an 'effective deterrent'. Have just started reading Grist and i really hope this article, which essentially parrots the Japanese propaganda, and its attitude are not indicative of the journalism and commentary, let alone analysis, to be found herein. Otherwise I'll have to assume that Grist's 'environmentalism' is Luntzspeak for 'corporate sycophancy'. Real problems - like the industrial slaughter of endangered species - call for real solutions - like interference with and disabling of the bastards doing it.

by carbon sync at 4:49 AM on 22 Feb 2007

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